Mr. Boutin's most recent letter is packed with fantasies and talking points that are simply not true. He writes about Clinton and the GOP Congress working together but conveniently forgets that that same Congress wasted time and millions trying to impeach him and opposed his economic policies for eight years. Clinton's policies gave us the highest growth rates in a generation and balanced the federal budget — something none of the Republican presidents in the last 50 years has been able to do.

The income declines came from the Republican policies under Bush that led to an economic crash and the worst recession in 80 years. Congressional Republicans have refused to take any steps to dig us out of the ditch and in fact have opposed any attempts to do so.

Mr. Boutin tries to make Obama into a lackey of Wall Street. One has to ask Mr. Boutin if he would like to break up the big financial institutions, increase taxes on the banks, and impose stricter regulations? We also have to ask if Boutin was opposed Dodd-Frank?

Mr. Boutin, if you really had any concern for the middle class, then instead of shedding crocodile tears you would support Democratic policies that are designed to help the middle class and to once again make it possible for people to rise into the middle class, as was possible before Republican policies enabled the 1 percent to grab all the money.

President Obama writes: "We have to choose what we want that future to look like. Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and rising chances for everyone who makes the effort?"

Recent polls have indicated that President Obama's popularity has been steadily rising. And under his policies job growth in the private sector has steadily increased, and the economy has been growing again. Maybe he's doing something right. And to repeat — this has happened despite the knee-jerk Republican opposition to anything he supports or proposes.

And by the way, the name-calling is not necessary to make your points, invalid and misleading as they may be.

In Thursday's issues of both The Laconia Daily Sun and the Citizen newspapers, the readers were "treated" to a series of attacks on Fox News by Thomas Dawson, Ph.D. In his letter, Dawson accused Fox News of a conspiracy, false reporting, possible sedition, untruthful "facts," and so on. He asks about Fox, "Are they committing treason against our federal government?"

Throughout his letter Dawson spoke of lies being told by Fox News. However, in not one instance was he able to offer a single example. Apparently he is happy with the reporting on networks such as MSNBC and the "truth" as reported by commentators such as Ed Schultz and the "Reverend" Al Sharpton.

Part of the First Amendment allows for the freedom of speech that Dawson exercised to unfairly smear Fox News and its owner, Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch came to this country, legally, from Australia, and it is evident that bothers Dawson significantly. Maybe his anger is because of the "legal" thing . . . or maybe its Murdoch's overwhelming successes ... or the countless jobs he has created ... or the high taxes he and his workers' pay to the government. Maybe, just maybe, it's because Fox News has literally "cleaned the clock" of all those other cable news channels that Dawson adores.

Free speech comes in all forms — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Dr. Dawson gave us a look at the latter.

This is in response to the letter that appeared on Thursday, Jan. 29, from a former candidate for public office, Tom Dawson, and his incoherent, pathetic, and embarrassing ramblings about Fox News Channel, the only U.S. cable news outlet unafraid to report the truth. He claims that Fox deliberately misleads and even lies about events that it's covering. If he really thinks that, he has the "free will" right to not watch or listen. But, in his letter, he goes much further.

First he calls them an "entertainment" channel, and in that assertion, he is only just getting started. Then he succumbs to his own irrationally proclaimed insight into what is behind it all at Fox, and declares that it's really a "conspiracy," designed to bring all of us unsuspecting and non-thinking people to the point of "sedition" and "insurrection," which is ultimately "aimed at disrupting the American government" by treason.

Interestingly, all of this "progressive" thought is presented without a single fact to back up this presumably illegal activity, not one fact or example. The actual facts, however, are that Fox News channel is the number one-rated news outlet on the planet, and is seen every single day around the world. Fox's viewer ratings continuously exceed the ratings of all the other cable news channels combined, as well as all the "free" network channels combined. Why is that? It's because it's the only place you get the truth.

My only purpose for writing this rebuttal to Mr. Dawson's false and ridiculous assertions about Fox News Channel is to help other people, other readers, who may still be sitting on the fence politically, and for them not to be afraid of the truth, but to embrace it, and form your opinions from facts. His far left-wing, progressive "worldview" and distortions of life in this culture cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.

For example, at a "meet the candidates" forum I attended for Mr. Dawson last fall, he actually told me to my face that people who think like me regarding abortion were practicing "fuzzy religion". I was criticized by others in the room for not letting that statement stand unchallenged.

Mr. Dawson wants everyone to believe what they see and hear in the nation's daily newspapers, in the classrooms, and in the "muddy-stream" media, where the government's voice of "we're only here to help" mantra still reigns constant and supreme. The fact is we do not live in a "democracy;" we live in a "representative republic," where the government serves "at the consent of the governed," where they are the "servants," and we, the people, are the "masters."

The right of freedom of the press, was endowed onto the American culture, not from government, but from God, our creator, and was based on the clear understanding that close scrutiny and harsh criticism of the people in government was going to be imperative, to keep powerful men, who will always want to be even more powerful, in line and accountable to the people.

Sadly, however, many in the media soon learned that they could achieve extra benefits for themselves if they aligned themselves with some of those powerful men in government, whom themselves had already learned that they could also achieve extra benefits for themselves if they aligned with powerful interest groups, who also want extra benefits, that only government can give away, for free. But first, government must take. It must take from us, the producers, the entrepreneurs. Who else are they going take from? Have you ever been hired by a poor man? By itself, government has nothing, government makes nothing, government only controls things, things that it doesn't make or own.

Also sadly, both political parties are guilty of this, and every mature-thinking adult knows it. There are very few really honest men in government, those whose only motive is to serve the people, for awhile, and then go home. Most are there because of personal greed. Obviously, we can see from his letter, Mr. Dawson is a far-left Democrat, and has chosen to align himself with those men. And that's okay I guess, if you do it in private. But it becomes very messy looking when you write a letter and make such a spectacle in public.

People have a right to vote. Although the right to vote isn't written in our Constitution, people are entitled and allowed to vote in this country.

Why would a group of people petition to take away your ease of voting on our town budget? Why would they want you to give up a Saturday to sit in uncomfortable chairs for hours, listening to people repeat and repeat the same old arguments?

Keeping SB-2 and voting at the ballot booth on a Tuesday makes sense for several reasons.

1. It takes minutes instead of hours to vote.

2. You can vote in private without the person sitting next to you knowing how you voted.

3. The homebound elderly or disabled can vote by absentee ballot.

4. People on vacation can vote by absentee ballot.

5. The "snowbirds" who haven't come home yet can vote by absentee ballot.

6. People in the military and away from home can vote by absentee ballot.

Town Meetings are antiquated. There are 2,424 registered voters in Gilmanton. On average, only 100 people show up on a Saturday to vote at Town Meeting. This alone should tell us something. These days our world is moving so fast people can't and don't want to spend an entire day voting. Perhaps people have to work on Saturday just to afford their taxes. They shouldn't have to sit in a room feeling intimidated when they don't support a particular article. Instead they should have the privacy to vote in the ballot booth so they can vote their true feelings.

For several decades I have been one of the 100 people attending the Saturday Town Meetings. I have seen special interest groups phone their friends when it's time to vote for a particular article. The friends show up to vote and then leave. Those people apparently don't want to spend their Saturdays at Town Meeting, either. Yet, these same people are the ones signing the petition to do away with the SB-2 way of voting.

The petitioners will say, "The people are uninformed when they show up at the voting booth." Who are they to say that? Just because people have a different opinion it doesn't mean they are uninformed. A voter will be as informed as they want to be. SB-2 affords voters the opportunity to vote without being present by using the absentee ballot. Why would anyone want to take this right away?

In my opinion this petition in Gilmanton to do away with SB-2 is just a way for the special interest groups to push their agendas and keep the majority from voting with ease. Since SB-2 took effect, the percentage of residents voting on our budget has increased dramatically.

Let's not take a step backward. Let's keep SB-2. Please vote "No" on the articles asking you to do away with SB-2.

Fox News is a cable network owned and controlled by an Australian who became an American citizen. Fox News is not really a "news" organization. Fox "News" is an entertainment channel and a propaganda machine supporting a Republican, right-wing agenda. It often deviates from the truth and at times actually makes up fabrications in the name of news facts. It lies and continually slants its reporting to achieve some end.

But, what end? Why does Fox operate in this way, misleading and confusing its listeners? It is not just a program or an announcer within Fox but the entire staff. What is the true purpose of Fox "News"?

And, why do American citizens and their governmental entities treat Fox News as legitimate and tolerate its downright continual lies and slanted reporting? Let's not call it news. Let us call it an entertainment and a rallying program for the extreme right wing.

Since all programs and announcers take the same line of slanted or untrue material we might look at this as a conspiracy. A conspiracy is "a group that joins in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act or to use such means to accomplish an end."

Again, why is Fox confusing and improperly reporting to the American people? This is truly a very dangerous and vicious undertaking. The polarization of our country is due, in part, to this false reporting. If people are only watching Fox programs they are getting a very distorted view of America and the world we live in.

Sedition is defined as incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority. Sedition can become treason when the serious breach of allegiance is aimed at the overthrow of the government. Is Fox News conspiring to promote seditious acts? Is their reporting aimed at disrupting the American government? Do they deliberately cloud an issue with untruthful "facts" to cause commotion, confusion, and anger among the American citizen? Are they committing treason against our federal government?

This cable station represents an immoral disservice to the people of this great nation by confusing them with "facts" and "news" that are at times complete fabrications and distortions. The owner of Fox "news," Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian. He has become a citizen, but he was not born here. His influence through Fox "news" is astounding. He is negatively affecting the moral fiber of our America through his conspiratorial programming.

This country has some very serious problems. We will never be able to identify and correct these problems and injustices within the current climate of disrespect and false "facts." I believe there is a conspiracy that is approaching treason. Open your eyes and you will see it, too.